Former Raptors Guard Vents About 6th Man of the Year Snub

Former Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell thinks he should have been a finalist for the NBA's sixth-man of the year award

Norman Powell thinks he deserves more respect.

The former Toronto Raptors guard has been one of the NBA’s best bench players for years now but somehow he’s never been a finalist for the league’s sixth-man of the year award. Statistically, he has a case to be in the conversation. His 13.9 points per game aren’t necessarily eye-popping but he shot 48.6% from the field, 43.5% from three-point range, and had a True Shooting percentage 4.6 percentage points above league average.

And yet, Powell couldn’t crack the conversation.

Sacramento’s Malik Monk, Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr., and Minnesota’s Naz Reid were named the finalists for the award this year, the league announced.

“I think it's B.S., to be honest, two years in a row," he told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. “I don't know what else you got to do to be a sixth man. Last year, you're leading the league in bench points (and) don't get nominated. This year, the most efficient off the bench, given the fact that I'm playing with four Hall of Famers, limited touches, role decreases, and I'm still able to put out the same amount of production as the three finalists that was (picked)."

Monk is the favorite to win the award, having averaged 15.4 points per game for the Kings, but he did so on below-average efficiency. The Kings guard did, however, rack up more assists and more rebounds than Powell in roughly the same number of minutes played.

“I think it sucks. I think it's politics, publicity, and people aren't actually looking at the details of the game,” Powell said. “Guys get a few highlight dunks and get posted on social media, and that's what it is. Nobody's posting my threes like that. So, I mean, it's just tough.”

Powell spent six seasons with Toronto and was a crucial bench player for the organization for the better part of his tenure with the Raptors. Toronto traded him in 2021 to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal for Gary Trent Jr. Powell was eventually flipped to the Los Angeles Clippers where he’s played for the better part of the last three seasons.

“At the end of the day, the main focus is to win a championship,” Powell added. “It would be nice to be recognized for the work and everything that I've done to help this team contribute to winning and being a 50-win team. ... But I have a lot more to say if we win the championship at the end of the year."